In a Storm
by KeepCalmAndFanfic
Summary: Tsubasa and Hikaru never talk to each other. When stuck inside during a storm, things happen. They talk to each other. One shot, TsuKaru


**Hey guys! So anyway it was raining outside today (I can't believe that we're ****_still_**** not out of rainy season, but whatever) and I was just like what the heck I just feel like writing something. Please R&R cause I want to know it this more serious type story is good or not. Enjoy!**

Lightning crashed across the dark night sky. Thunder shook the air, and a deep rumbling came from the earth. But inside, a couple of teens sat around, safe and secure.

As the rain began pelting down onto the brick roof, a certain tall, silver-haired blader stirred his soup. Steam rose from the hot bowl, and wafted the familiar smell of his favorite comfort food, chicken noodle soup, into his nose. He carefully leveled a spoonful of broth to his mouth, and blew to cool it off before sipping it. Across the room, a light blue-haired blader and holder of Storm Aquario stood by the soaking window, looking out at the puddles forming along the roads. She gazed longingly about the drenched window with an odd nostalgia.

There was silence. Neither one spoke, and the only sounds that were heard was the patter of drops of water on the roof and the occasional roar of thunder that followed every crack of lightning.

Tsubasa looked up from his soup, and caught Hikaru's eye. The two had been living under the same roof for a while now, in the same run-down apartment since they both began working for Ryo at the WBBA. But they had never really connected; all they ever spoke to each other was a quiet "Hello" in the mornings when they woke up, or they would mutter a silent, "Pass the bacon" when eating breakfast, and that was nearly it.

Today was different. It wasn't abnormal for it to rain in Metal City during the summer; it was actually quite ordinary. Those days, however, was usually when Tsubasa was out on a field mission or when Hikaru was working overtime. A deep voice broke the imminent silence.

"What are you thinking about?" Tsubasa asked Hikaru. She shifted her position towards him to answer.

"It's just… nothing. It's so gloomy out today is all," she replied, speaking more words to him in three seconds than they had in their entire lifetimes as coworkers. Tsubasa nodded.

"Yeah, I guess. But it's not always such a bad thing, right Hikaru?"

"No, not really. This is nature's way of cleansing the earth, making it pure. I just…" Hikaru steeled herself. Rain reminded her of many things, good and bad. She associated it with the many drizzly days she'd spent by her mother in the hospital, clutching Aquario and whispering to the stars. She could almost make out the smell of antiseptic. And yet…

"Sometimes, to get the rainbow, you have to get through the rain," Tsubasa practically whispered. Even so, the words spoke to Hikaru like someone calling to her soul. He was right. Though at the present things may seem down, she's just going to have to keep pushing on.

"You know, Tsubasa," Hikaru looked him straight in the eyes, "we should talk more."

The older blader couldn't have agreed more. Having finished his soup, he rinsed the bowl in the sink and dropped it into the dishwasher. He then proceeded to sit next to Hikaru on the cushy window seat. A bolt of lightning crashed through the sky, reminding her of a specific someone she never wanted to remember.

"Ryuga never saw the rainbow," she said softly, accompanied by a sigh. Tsubasa shifted uncomfortably.

"Maybe he did. Maybe he's seeing it right now, for all we know. He lived in a world of darkness. And willingly. He gave up friends and allies to make the world his enemy. He is to be respected, and feared."

"But why? Perhaps he wanted friends, but just never knew how."

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple," he looked out at the dreary landscape, "Ryuga never made friends because that was his goal. He wanted to be the strongest blader in the world, and he just never realized that it was _friends_ who make you stronger; you can only get so far by yourself," Tsubasa remembered one of his first confrontations with Phoenix, and how he said that it was impossible for him to defeat Ryuga by himself. And he remembered how frustrated he was that someone was trying to tell him off, even if it was for his own good.

"You know, I think we're done with talking about him," the bluenette said bluntly. She still wasn't completely comfortable with discussing Ryuga. Tsubasa scooted closer to her, and wrapped his arm around her back, and relieved the tension she didn't even realize was there. She laid her head on his shoulder. They stayed wrapped around each other for a few minutes, before Hikaru's curiosity got the best of her.

"Tsubasa?" she whimpered, in an almost childlike manner.

"Yeah?"

"Where _do_ you think he went?" she asked, almost pitying the man who haunted her in her sleep.

He gave her shoulder a squeeze, before replying sheepishly, "I have no idea."

Hikaru closed her eyes shut, experiencing the battle between Gingka and Ryuga once more. It happened so long ago, but the reality of it was so vivid that it might as well have happened yesterday.

"You know, I think Mae West said it well enough: 'You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.'"

Hikaru opened her eyes. Outside, she could see the sun beginning to peak through the clouds.

**Me: (wipes a tear) How'd you like it?**

**Tsubasa: I don't think I've ever said that many quotes in a single sitting.**

**Me: YOLO**


End file.
